Broken Promises and Tainted Friendships
by PadfootAndProngs394
Summary: The second instalment to the story 'love and poison'. After an exciting and troublesome year, James and his friends head back into their last year at Hogwarts. With the weight of the prophecy still on his shoulders, James struggles to balance his personal life and the decisions he was expected to make. Warning: major character death
1. The Winds of change

**Hello everyone! So sorry for the almost 4 months of delay. Just so you know, I, Prongs, am a SAT student and Padfoot is in IGSC. We're gonna be very busy, so please pardon us for not posting quickly enough. If you didn't ready the prequel 'Love and Poison' Go ahead and read it.** **Hope you like this instalment and...** **Enjoy!**

Chapter 1: The winds of change

Lily's pov:

Lily sighed. She groaned into the pillow. Her room was quite a mess, and the book she was reading was discarded on the floor. Even though Lily Evans was not a messy person, and she treated her books better than she might treat an injured bird, that was not the problem. The book on the floor was called '101 signs you're in love' and, surprisingly, Lily found that she went through all the signs.

"No," she told herself firmly as she sat up on the bed. "I'm not in love. Not with him, no."

A small annoying voice in the back of her head whispered, 'yeah you keep telling yourself that..'

"Shut up!" She yelled. "I'm NOT in love with James Bloody Potter! I'm not!" Silence met her. Obviously. She was surely going mad with this little piece of information. People may think she's overreacting and that it was not worth all this drama.

Who would be in love with James Potter anyway?

Lily was trying (and failing) to convince herself that no, she wasn't in love with him. Not with his eyes, not with his soft black, windswept hair, and certainly not with his smile, or the way he held her when she needed comfort.

She angrily threw her pillow at the opposite wall near her desk, upsetting her owl in the process, who hooted angrily at her.

"Sorry." Lily grumbled and laid back on the bed, sighing. So maybe she DID love him afterall. What did she do to deserve this? Honestly, after all these years, with James practically begging for her love, and her ignoring him and making it obvious that she didn't care...and she didn't! Why start now?

She was drawn out of her thoughts when a loud knock came from the door and a shrill voice followed.

"Lily? Vernon and I are going out. Make sure you stay out of trouble, you hear me?" And with that, the sound of heals clicked down the stairs, followed by the sound of the shutting of the front door a while later.

Lily sighed in frustration. The Holidays were turning out to be absolutely horrible. Now that their parents were...not here anymore, Lily only had Petunia. And Petunia was not doing a good job as an older sister. She didnt even seem to care that their parents died, she had Vermin now.

Lily wiped a few treacherous tears that fell down her cheeks and looked at the letter from James that she hadn't opened yet.

Going over to her desk, she took the letter, sat down, and started reading it:

 _Dear Lily,_

 _I read the letter you sent me, and I know that your sister is giving you a hard time. So, I've decided this is the best time for you to come over, don't you think? It would be like a break and you can also stay the night if you want. I'm missing you a lot and can't wait for your reply._

 _Ps; dad will connect your fireplace temporarily with ours at 5pm tomorrow._

 _Your friend,_

 _James._

By the time Lily finished the letter she was smiling. Her smile faltered a little as she read the word 'friend'.

'Stop it, Lily.' She silently chided herself, 'it was you who wanted to be friends only.'

Lily immediately got a parchment and her quill and started writing a reply.

James's pov:

James was laying on the bed, hands behind his head, a set up game of wizard chess on the bed in front of him. He was playing with Sirius for the past hour, until Sirius needed to use the bathroom, so they paused it. James didn't mind. It gave him time to think.

He was impatiently waiting for Lily's reply. He felt angry for Lily. That was not a way to spend a holiday.

His anger was directed at her sister. He didn't understand why petunia treated Lily badly, it didn't make sense, siblings don't hate each other.

His mind strayed to their last conversation in the station before they left for the holiday. He might have tried to hide the fact that his heart was broken, but it was. He felt devastated that Lily rejected him. He did promise her that he won't bother her with his approaches again, but that didn't mean that he will stop loving her. Ever.

But James was going to keep his promise, and just stay friends, because he loved her and wanted to make her happy. And if that's what's going to make her happy then so be it.

A sharp tap snapped his attention to the window. His owl, Duke Owlington was waiting impatiently, very like James, to deliver the letter.

He named him Duke Owlington beacuse he and the Marauders were sitting in the common room one cold December night, trying to find a suitable name for his new owl, until he suggested this name. Everyone told him it was the stupidest, most ridiculous name ever, but he liked it. Sirius supported him fully, Remus facepalmed while Peter laughed his head off.

He smiled slightly when Duke stuck out his leg, and James carefully untied the letter. He gave his owl some owl treats, then retreated to his bed, slowly opening the letter:

 _Dear James,_

 _Thank you for inviting me to your house. Of course I would love to come, since I promised and everything. I will be ready by the time you mentioned. Can't wait._

 _Your friend,_

 _Lily._

James grinned, ignoring the tiny ache he felt as he read the word 'friend '. Lily was coming over!

"So...did she say yes?" Sirius's voice floated from the hallway to his room.

James turned to Sirius excitedly, "Yes! She's going to come."

"Great. Hey do you wanna continue our game or what?"

XXX

James ran as fast as he could down the stairs the next day at exactly 4:55. He was going to wait for Lily to greet her.

Sirius was already in the living room by the fireplace, James's mum fixing his clothes for him. He was not going to stay when Lily come over, he would've met her in his pyjamas if he wanted to. But he wanted to go meet his girlfriend so he had to make a little bit of effort to look presentable.

The fireplace turned green,signalling Lily's arrival, and Euphemia shrieked in delight.

Lily stumbled slightly, then was smothered into a motherly hug by a cheerful Euphemia before she could even regain her breath.

"Oh Lily! I'm so happy to see you! James wouldn't stop jumping in excitement all day. He was whining all week about how he misses you and-" Euphemia was cut off by James.

"Okay! That's enough mum, thank you!" James said.

"Oh hush! You know I'm right. Anyway, I hope you and James have a good time together." She patted Lily's cheek and walked giddily to the kitchen.

"Hey, Evans." Sirius stridded over before James could even talk. "Having a good time?"

"Fine, Black." Lily replied uneasily, things were still awkward between her and Sirius.

"Don't worry, Evans, I won't be here to annoy you much longer. I'm going to Rosy's." He replied with a laugh.

"Shouldn't you be going now, Sirius?" James asked.

"Yes, I should. Goodbye!" He saluted them then walked to the fireplace and green flames engulfed him.

James smiled brightly at Lily and she smiled back shyly.

"Well come on then kids! Dinner is ready." Euphemia said as she carried plates and set them on the table.

At this moment the fireplace turned green and James's dad came out, "Lily! You're finally here! James talks about you so much to the point where I wanted to put a Silencing charm on him sometimes! I've been waiting to get to know the girl who's been driving my son crazy for the past... what 4, 5 years?"

"Dad!"

"I hope you have a great time today Lily. Come on let's get something to eat, shall we? I'm sure Euphemia has something delicious cooked up." Fleamont led Lily to the dining room, leaving James behind, red faced, and sputtering like a fish out of water.

Once they have settled down, Euphemia started serving them laddle-fulls of soup and each a piece of roast turkey she made.

"You shouldn't have tired yourself like that, Mrs Potter." Lily said politely.

"Nonsense! I did not tire myself at all. After all, I love cooking. Besides, call me Euphemia won't you my dear? Mrs Potter makes me feel old!"

Lily grinned at her sheepishly, "Sorry."

James rolled his eyes. His mum acted really weird when Lily was around. Childish too.

Euphemia sent him a glare. "Don't you roll your eyes at me, young man." James raised his hands in surrender.

Fleamont put down his spoon and leaned forward, "So Lily, do you play Quidditch? I'm afraid I haven't heard anything about you regarding Quidditch."

"Fleamont! Don't annoy the poor girl!" Euphemia chided.

"It's alright. And no, I don't play quidditch, I prefer just watching. I don't know how to ride a broom." Lily said with a smile.

"Well how about James teaches you how to ride a broom? Maybe you'll like it." Fleamont said, ignoring Lily's frantic shaking of her head.

"You know, that's a great idea, Dad." James nodded, flashing a grin at Lily, who glared at him.

"But I don't like heights! Surely James must've told you that?" She asked anxiously.

"Yes, he did. That's why I think it's a good idea to learn how to fly. Flying is the greatest feeling in the world, you'll see." Fleamont said knowingly.

Euphemia slapped fleamont's arm lightly, "If she doesn't want to learn to fly then let her be! Honestly!"

James waved his hand dismissively, "Don't worry mum. I'm gonna teach her how to fly, anyway."

Lily huffed.

James smirked.

After dinner has been cleared, James dragged Lily outside.

"James, wait. We just ate, and I don't think flying after dinner is a very good idea." Lily stopped, halting James's movement.

James sighed, disappointed. "You're right. Unfortunately. But don't worry! I'll teach you to fly later tonight."

"Oh I'm not worried at all." Lily muttered.

Almost less than half an hour later, Lily was yet again dragged outside to the well kept yard. The last bits of morning light were lost, and the sky was beginning to darken.

James let go of her hand and entered a broom shed, coming out moments later with only one broom.

"Er...James-" James raised his hand to stop whatever she was gonna say.

"If you flew on your own broom you might fall, since you don't know how to fly. We'll have to share." Seeing that Lily was about to protest, he quickly said, "Don't worry, I promise that I won't do anything that might upset you."

Lily nodded, but something passed over her face before quickly disappearing. It looked like disappointment, but James was only being hopeful.

"Alright, first you're sitting behind me so you can get used to being in the air." He ignored the slight blush that appeared on her cheeks. He mounted his broom, ready to kick up from the ground, and waited for Lily to mount behind him.

For a moment they only stared at each other. "Well come on then! What're you waiting for?!" James said impatiently.

"Oh...um...nothing." Hesitantly, Lily mounted behind James.

"You'd probably want to hold on." James said, looking back at her. She looked so flustered and shy it made James want to laugh.

"Hold on where?!" Lily squeaked. James raised an eyebrow.

"It's your choice. You can hold onto one of the many hand bars around the broom." She stared at him, " Lily, my waist. Hold onto my waist if you don't want to fall."

He waited patiently (or not) as she wrapped her arms around him in a loose grip. James sighed and kicked off the ground.

He allowed himself a smirk when Lily shrieked and tightened her hold on him. They flew around in slow circles for a while, then James increased his speed bit by bit.

"See, Lily?" James called over his shoulder, hair flying around wildly. "It's awesome!"

She gave him a slight smile.

The sun was beginning to set now, it's colours forming a slightly orange and pinkish hue.

"I'll go a little faster okay?" He didn't wait for a reply and flew higher and faster.

"James, don't!" Lily screamed, tightening her grip even more.

"Don't worry, you'll like it, I promise." James was having the time of his life. The two best things in James's life were happening right now, and he was loving it!

"Oh look! That's mum and dad!" James pointed and made a slight dive, laughing when Lily practically hugged him.

"Stop it James Potter or I'll kill you!" She screamed.

"Okay okay I'll stop." He laughed, and she hit him on his back, huffing.

So James resolved to flying slowly around the house, on an even height.

Eventually, James felt Lily put her head between his shoulder blades, and sigh. Excitement coursed through him, making him want to whoop with joy, but he didn't, not wanting to ruin the moment.

After flying for a little while, James finding the moment very romantic, he finally, but reluctantly took pity on Lily and descended to the ground, helping Lily to get down before following her.

"Amazing ,eh?" James asked as they walked back to the house, broom on his shoulder.

"It was nice, James. Thank you." Lily smiled up at him.

"Nice? Why not awesome? Cool? The best feeling in the world?"

Lily laughed. "Alright it was pretty cool to be honest. You're a very good flier. Happy now?"

"Very."

Lily looked flushed and her hair was windswept, yet not messy, like James's. She looked very cute right now and he wanted to kiss her. Well...hug her at least, but he knew she won't welcome that either. He promised, after all.

Sirius's pov:

Sirius arrived with a 'whoosh' at Rosaline's house's fireplace. He found her looking through the hallway nervously, biting her lip (which he found really cute). When she noticed him she smiled and walked over. He was about to say 'hi' when she motioned frantically for him to stay quiet and led him outside the living room, up the stairs and into what he assumed was her bedroom.

After she shut the door, she exhaled in relief, "That could have gone a lot worse. Jacob was suspicious all morning."

Sirius tutted, "Hiding things from your brother, are you now?" He said playfully.

Rosaline swatted his arm and huffed indignantly, "It was the only way I could have you come over, don't make me regret it."

Sirius laughed and went to sit on Rosaline's bed, making himself comfortable, and invited Rosaline to sit by patting the space next to him.

She blushed and sat down, "I've missed you, you know."

He smiled, "I know, and I've missed you more." He said and kissed her forehead.

He took his time to examine her face, from her mesmerising crystal blue eyes, to the light dusting of freckles that covered her nose and cheekbones that were flushed red.

She rested her head on his shoulder and tucked her hands around his waist, both of them opting to just be in each other's presence, not knowing what to say to the other.

"Rosy? I uh..." He trailed off unsurely. She turned towards him expectantly.

"Look, I don't know about this, about us. I haven't gotten this far before in a relationship and I'm just completely clueless. Do you think this is working? I mean...I think it is..."

"Yes, it works, Sirius. If it doesn't I don't think we'd be risking it today."

"Yes but...what I mean is that usually couples get to see each other more often, but it seems like every time I tell you to come over when I was at James's, you have the same excuse, over and over again."

"I know Sirius. But it's the truth! Ever since Marlene accidentally let slip that I have a boyfriend Jacob has been as annoying as ever! And if he finds out it's you it's going to be much worse. No offense or anything...it's just that..." She trailed off..."Sorry, that came out wrong."

"No it's okay, I get it. I knew there was a risk because of my family since the day I asked you to the ball, but I chose to take that risk, and now I'm still willing to take my chances. You know why? Because I love you Rosaline McKinnon. I love you with every fibre of my being."

She was about to open her mouth to reply when Sirius placed a finger on her lips. "Wait, let me finish. Despite all what I said about not seeing each other...I still always think about you Rosy...I don't need you to say it back now, not until you are completely sure, because I know that it might be too early for that. But for now I just want you to know that..."

They seemed to be getting closer without realising it.

And closer.

Their lips were only inches apart now, and they were still getting closer when...

Suddenly, the door burst open, making Rosaline gasp and jump back.

"What the hell is going on here?!"

 **Ok that's it. Hope you guys like it and sorry again for the delay. Don't forget to tell us what you think. It really helps.** **See ya!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimers: Do we HAVE to put this in every chapter? Anyway, we obviously don't own Harry Potter.**

 **A/N: SOOO late we know. And we're very sorry. We know we keep having excuses in every chapter but…oh well. Won't put any excuses here.**

 **On with the story!**

 **Enjoy ;)**

 _Previous chapter:_

 _They seemed to be getting closer without realizing it._

 _And closer._

 _Their lips were only inches apart now, and they were still getting closer when..._

 _Suddenly, the door burst open, making Rosaline gasp and jump back._

 _"What the hell is going on here?!"_

* * *

Chapter 2 Broken Hearts

Rosaline's POV:

"Jacob! Uh-uh- why didn't you knock first?!" Rosaline shouted at her brother, but Sirius noticed that he wasn't looking at her. Instead, he was glaring at Sirius in a way that, was he standing, would make his knees buckle.

"Black?! A Black, Rosy? How could you?" Jacob rounded on her.

"Its none of your business!" Rosaline shouted back at him.

"You're my sister! Of course, it's my business!" Her brother said between gritted teeth.

"Look, um...Jacob, right? I don't mean anything bad - " Sirius was cut off by Jacob, who was now holding him by the collar.

"I don't want to hear a _thing_ from you." Jacob snarled at him.

"Jacob let him go!" Rosaline tried to pull him off her boyfriend to no avail.

"I'm not doing anything wrong, we're just dating!" Sirius said shakily. Then Rosaline screamed when her brother suddenly punched Sirius in the face, effectively breaking his nose.

Apparently, Jacob wasn't finished with him, because he sent a kick to Sirius's stomach causing him to double over in pain, a surprised grunt escaping from his lips.

"Jacob, stop!" Rosaline screamed again in horror. She didn't know her brother was so violent. She stood between them in an attempt to stop her brother from beating Sirius to a bloody pulp. That didn't stop Jacob, however, but seemed to anger him farther. He pushed Rosaline aside none too gently and picked a groaning Sirius up and kneed him in the stomach again.

The ruckus and shouting attracted Marlene and both her parents, who came running into Rosaline's room.

"What the devil are you doing, Jacob?!" Mr McKinnon exclaimed, horrified by the sight of the boy on the floor, who his son was still hitting until he came in. Sirius lay gasping and groaning in pain, while Rosaline gently tried to gauze the blood from his definitely broken nose.

"He had it coming. Thought you'd sneak behind our backs, did you?" Jacob raised his fist again only to be pushed back by his father.

Marlene glared at him. "What are you even TALKING about? Even mum and dad are not bothered by this as much as you are!" She then went to help Sirius up.

"Jacob, come with me. Now." Mrs McKinnon said sternly, grabbing a struggling Jacob's ear and pulling him out after giving Sirius a worried look. Mr McKinnon gave them one last look before following his wife and son out, saying he will get the first aid, and shut the door softly behind him.

"I'm so sorry, Sirius," Rosaline whispered with tears running down her face. Sirius wiped them with his thumb.

"Come with me Sirius. We'll wait for dad to get the healing stuff in the kitchen." Marlene said, leading Sirius out and into the kitchen. Their dad was there and looked like he was just about to come up.

"Oh, you're here. Look, Marlene, you take care of that ok? I have to go." He said, giving his eldest daughter the first aid kit and going back upstairs.

After Marlene patched Sirius up, broken nose and all, Jacob appeared, scowling.

"Rosa, Marley. Go upstairs. I'd like to talk to Black." He said.

"No, Jacob. I just patched him up and I won't appreciate it if all my work was for nothing." Marlene shot back, drying the last of the blood.

"I'm not gonna kill him, don't worry," Jacob said, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, I AM worried. I swear to Merlin, Jacob, if you lay a finger on Rosa's boyfriend I'm gonna use my 'older sister' status on you." Marlene warned. Jacob scoffed.

Marlene pulled Rosaline behind her, who followed reluctantly, to the next room. Marlene yelled over her shoulder to Jacob,

"We're gonna be in the next room! I warned you!"

* * *

Sirius's POV:

"Stay away from her," Jacob said, looking down at Sirius. But Sirius was sick of staying quiet. He might have been slightly afraid of him in the beginning, but that was because he was Rosy's brother, and he needed to gain the family's approval. Now, it was too much! He sure as hell wasn't going to stand aside while people talked for him AND insulted him!

"I don't see why I should," Sirius said coldly.

"Well, let me remind me then; aren't your family all about blood purity and all that nonsense? Wasn't your cousin disowned for something as insignificant as running off with a muggleborn?"

Sirius shrugged, "I don't see how this is a relative."

"Of course, pardon me, I shouldn't have expected you to understand. Do you even know anything about our heritage?"

Sirius interrupted, "No and I couldn't care less."

McKinnon ignored him. "Our father is a muggle, and mother is a muggleborn. How do you think that plays out with your family?!"

"I am not like them and I won't let them come near her. I won't allow it. I'll protect her."

And suddenly, all Sirius could see was stars. And...there was a pain in his jaw for some...reason. When his vision cleared, he found himself on the floor, and McKinnon massaging his fist.

Jacob snorted, "So, you were saying? Something about protecting my sister? You can't even protect yourself! Not even from this," He punched him in the gut, "or this," He pushed him back, causing Sirius to bash his head in a cabinet. "You're just some useless, weak, lunatic who doesn't deserve my sister!"

Sirius saw Rosaline rush into the kitchen from his place on the floor, followed by a livid Marlene.

"Sirius!" She barely reached him when Sirius got up, swaying on his feet slightly, waving her away when she tried to help.

"I-I have to go." He murmured and hurried to the fireplace as fast as his unsteady legs could take him. With a heavy heart, he ignored Rosaline's pleas with him to wait and left with a blaze of green flames.

XXXX

Lily's POV:

Lily nearly jumped out of her skin when the flames erupted in the fireplace and Sirius stumbled out suddenly, looking horrible and pale. She was sitting on the couch with James, quietly solving homework, so it was natural for her to feel startled when the sound of the fireplace filled the silence (Surprisingly. Considering James was there).

Immediately, they were on their feet and rushing toward Sirius. Lily helped James in supporting Sirius to the nearest chair.

"What the hell happened!?" Asked James, voicing her thoughts. Maybe her thoughts didn't include the word 'hell' in them, but oh well.

"Yeah," She agreed, "It doesn't look like you've gone to visit your girlfriend but to a boxing match!" They looked at her weirdly, obviously not knowing what boxing is. "Did something happen? Did you guys fight?" Lily asked, genuinely worried, surprisingly.

"Slow down, Evans!" Sirius said. She scowled at him. "Well, yeah something DID happen." He sighed.

"Did you get into a fight?" James repeated Lily's question.

Sirius smiled tightly. "You can say that. More like getting beaten up." He muttered but Lily heard him nonetheless.

"Tell us from the beginning." She said firmly. He sighed.

By the time Sirius finished his story, Lily was shocked, though James looked more angry than shocked. His fists were clenched and his jaw was tight. Lily secretly hoped she would never get on his bad side.

"But why was her brother so cruel? Is he out of his mind?! He could've just kicked you out if he thought you were that bad. No offense." Lily said.

Sirius waved his hand dismissively, "None taken. But he was so protective of his little sister. Not even her parents minded that much. I don't understand it either. I think he hates me."

"Really? You _think_?" James stared at him disbelievingly. Then he yelled, loudly, for his mum to come with medical supplies.

Ten minutes later, Sirius was healed and sitting with James and Lily on the couch, doing homework. Lily's idea.

It seemed that sitting quietly and doing homework was cursed because, once again, that fireplace erupts and a pretty blonde stepped out. Rosaline marched towards Sirius and immediately started fussing over him. When she was obviously satisfied, she stood back? put her hands on her hips, and glared.

"Why did you leave so abruptly? And why didn't you stop when I called you? I kept calling and calling and you ignored me!" She demanded.

Lily took this as their cue to leave, and she dragged a reluctant James out of the room.

* * *

Sirius's POV:

"Why don't you make a guess?" Sirius said, looking up at Rosaline incredulously. She kept a stern face. "You think I should've stayed when I was obviously unwanted and humiliated? You wanted me to stay and get another beating, and get pitied by the rest of you guys? I was obviously not welcomed, so I left."

Rosy sat next to him. "Sirius, you ARE wanted. I don't care what Jacob thinks about our relationship. Marlene approves. Mum and Dad too!"

Sirius shook his head. "I don't think I'll go to your house again. We should both agree to that at least."

Roosy guided his face towards her. "Jacob said something, didn't he? He said something that made you leave..."

Sirius looked away. "No, it's just...I wasn't wanted. That's it. Not that I'm wanted anywhere that is." He muttered the last part in a very low voice that he was sure Rosy hadn't heard him.

Rosy looked doubtingly at him. Sirius sighed, "Look, Rosy..."

"Wait, I don't like that tone of voice." Sirius felt guilty. She looked worried an scared. But he had to do this.

"I...Look, I don't think we should keep this going - " He was interrupted when Rosy stood up, looking angry and beautiful. He berated himself. He shouldn't think that.

"Sirius Black, What in the name of Merlin are you implying?!" She yelled at him, still managing to sound just as sweet as always.

Sirius regretfully close his eyes, "I'm Implying that if we stayed together, it might endanger you. With me being a Black, your family will never allow you to be with someone from a Death Eater family. They will never allow us to stay together, so this will have to end at some point." Sirius tried to explain.

Rosaline's angry expression stayed just that...angry. If not angrier. Pain flickered in her eyes but for just a second. Then it was gone.

"Sirius. I thought You loved me! You said that not three hours ago!"

"Rosy, I still do! Believe me, that's why I'm doing this." Sirius tried again.

"That doesn't make any sense! You didn't care before! Why start now?" Rosaline's expression started to turn into despair.

"Rosy I...I never...stayed with a girl for longer than a few weeks...I never anticipated..." That look on her face made him shut up, and silence followed.

"Are you giving up on me?" She asked quietly.

"No! Not on you - "

"On us! Are you giving up on us?!"

Sirius couldn't think of a reply. He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, coming up with nothing. He finally settled on, "I - I guess."

* * *

Rosaline's POV:

The moment the words left Sirius's mouth, Rosaline felt heartbroken and...angry. She let the anger take over the hurt long enough for her to bring her hand back, and slap Sirius.

There was a moment of silence where Sirius, still sitting and shocked, his head still slightly turned to the side from the force of the slap.

Rosaline held her breath. What has she done! She just ruined any chance, if there was any, to knock some sense into Sirius. She hadn't meant to do it quite _literally_ like that.

Suddenly, Sirius stood so fast that Rosaline had to take a step back to avoid unnecessary contact. She expected him to yell, to hit her even, but, to her dismay, all he said was,

"Leave."

He said it softly, barely louder than a whisper, but she heard it nonetheless.

She didn't move.

"Get out Rosaline! I don't want to see you ever again!" Sirius yelled this time.

"I'm- I'm sorry-"

"Out!" Sirius screamed.

Rosaline felt unwanted tears spring from her eyes, down her face. A sob escaped her, and she ran to the fireplace and flooed home. She was going to KILL Jacob.

XXXX

Sirius's POV:

Sirius pushed the guilt deep down. _I did the right thing,_ he told himself. It was for her own good as well as his. But...was the anger he felt when she slapped him justified? He couldn't understand the burst of anger he felt all of a sudden then. One moment they were talking, the next he was on his feet screaming at her to leave. He put his head in his hands as he sat down again. He loved Rosy. He just told her that not two hours before they fought. _That's why I ended it,_ he thought. _Because I love her._

Footsteps sounded behind him and James was standing in front of him, prying Sirius's hands from his face.

"What happened?" James asked worriedly. A pause. Then, "Are you _crying_?"

Sirius wiped the traitorous tears from his eyes and laughed wryly.

"As if you don't already know?"

James and Lily shared a guilty look. "Look it wasn't that hard to overhear you guys. You were shouting." James said.

Lily and James sat on either of on the couch. Lily put a consoling hand on his shoulder.

"Sirius," She cleared her throat, "Yes, we know what happened. We heard enough to get the point and we're sorry, but...Why? Did you guys break up? I'm sure she only meant well.'

"I know..." Sirius choked out. "You won't understand." He tried to get up but James pulled him back.

"I understand why you did it, Sirius. But, she doesn't care what family you're from."

"Yes, but her family does. They're going to cause her trouble if we get together. I...I never loved a girl before, and when I actually do like a girl...she's not allowed to be with me."

"Sirius..."

"Just...I want to be alone for a while. I'm tired." Sirius abruptly stood up and ascended the stairs. A few seconds later, they heard a door slam shut.

* * *

Lily's POV:

Lily looked over at James, who was looking at the floor, bent down with his elbows on his knees. She put her hand softly on his shoulder.

"James?" She called softly. He started a bit.

"Hm? Oh, I was just...thinking."

"About Sirius?" She guessed.

"No, not only Sirius." He then stood up and stretched. Lily couldn't help blushing when she noticed that his shirt rode up a bit and a small part of his (muscled) stomach showed.

"Alright, then! I think we should go to bed. Come, I'll show you to the guest room."

Lily followed him. Sometimes, James could be so mysterious.

* * *

 **That's it! The end of this chapter. hope you liked it. We'll leave it up to you to guess what James was thinking about ;) It's obvious, isn't it?**

 **Next chapter coming up soon! This one took time cuz it was already written but we thought we already uploaded it. Turns out it was right there but no update. Sorry...**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimers: HP is not ours.**

 **Authors' note: We got a review earlier that stated you guys want to see more of Remus and Mary's relationship. Well, there you go! Hope you enjoy the story!**

Chapter 3: Hogwarts

Remus's POV:

Remus bumped his shoulder against Mary's, chuckling slightly when she pulled a face and bumped him back. She was sitting next to him in a compartment in the Hogwarts Express.

He ignored James when he rolled his eyes and looked at the ceiling exasperatedly. He also ignored Sirius who made gagging noises, and said something like, "You're the most disgustingly cheesy couple I had the displeasure of meeting."

Remus snorted, "You're ones to talk!"

James raised his hands in mock surrender. "I don't have a girlfriend…yet." He gave a pointed look in Lily's direction, who pointedly ignored him in return, focusing on her book instead. "Never even had the chance to act like an idiot with a girlfriend, so don't look at me."

"No Prongs, you acted like an idiot _before_ ," Sirius said, rolling his eyes.

Lily looked up, raising an eyebrow, "Prongs?" she asked.

"Oh, NOW you look at me! You were ignoring me for the past hour!" James exclaimed indignantly. She ignored him again. Remus smirked.

"Hey!" cried James. "Just because you got YOUR girlfriend doesn't mean you get to laugh at people!"

Remus shrugged, "I'm not exactly laughing, am I?"

James bristled and glared at a laughing Sirius. "Shut up you too!"

XXXX

"Mmm, I'm so full!" James said in satisfaction. The common room was full of chattering students, all catching up with each other.

"Well, of course, you'll be full. You haven't stopped stuffing your mouth with food throughout the whole meal." Lily commented.

"Hey! I was hungry!"

"Surprisingly. Even though you ate sweets from the trolley lady on the train." Remus said, rolling his eyes.

Sirius put his arm around James. "Don't worry, mate, I support you."

"Yeah. We both ate like starved Hippogriffs."

One by one, they started yawing.

"Let's sleep then. We have classes tomorrow." They all went up to their dormitories, Lily and Mary to the girls', and James, Remus, Sirius, and Peter to the boys'.

XXXX

The first few weeks passed with no incident. It was a bit boring for James and Sirius, but Remus was okay with the peace. He and Mary were getting to know each other more and Remus was happy. He decided to take her on a date to Hogsmeade. He felt a bit nervous because he had nearly no experience in that department. He stayed away from girls, even though lots of them thought he was handsome and date-worthy. He just didn't want to fall in love with any of them and then gets heartbroken or breaks their hearts just because of what he was. A werewolf. Mary, though…She was a special case. He couldn't get rid of her if he tried. Not that he wanted to.

He waited at the bottom of the stairs leading to the girls' dormitories, waiting for Mary to come down. He had already asked her to go with him to Hogsmeade and she agreed. When she made it down the stairs, he looked at her properly. She looked pretty, like always. She was wearing a beige jumper over a pair of tight trousers and boots that reached halfway up her calf. An elegant grey cloak was wrapped around her shoulders. Her attire was simple, and beautiful, just like her.

Smiling, he offered his arm for her to take, and she, smiling back, took it. They walked all the way to Hogsmeade and Remus took Mary to the Three Broomsticks for a drink and a rest from their long walk. They sat on a table for couples and ordered Butterbeers. Mary took off her cloak and draped it around the back of her chair. While waiting for their drinks, Mary and Remus talked. A lot. About many things. They talked about their friends, about some teachers, though Remus was a bit reluctant because Mary wanted to criticize them, they even talked about the latest gossips, though it was mostly Mary talking, and Remus shocked or amused. Then the drinks came.

"I don't know why I ordered a Butterbeer even though we're allowed to have Firewhiskey now. It just tastes creamy and it's soothing." Mary said, sighing in bless after taking a sip.

"Yeah. I agree. It's very refreshing, especially after such a long walk from the school to the village." Remus said, leaning back on his chair.

"Come on, Remus, the walk wasn't that long. You're exaggerating. It was fun even." Mary scowled at him.

"Of course it was. I was with you after all." Remus smiled gently at her. His smile widened when she blushed and looked away.

"I never imagined the day when I would see you blush, Mary." Remus teased lightly. He put his hand over hers on the table and squeezed slightly, gently. She looked back at him and their eyes locked. It was perfect. Everything around them seemed to vanish and it was only Remus and Mary. It seemed like they were being pulled closer by some magnetic force. Neither one of them was complaining as both of them leaned closer…and closer.

A loud clearing of a throat brought them back to real life.

Remus turned and scowled at whoever dared to intrude. It was Sirius. Remus growled.

"What are you doing here, Sirius?"

"Calm down, mate," Sirius raised both hands in a placating manner, "I was just really bored and when I saw you guys here I decided to join you. If you two don't mind of course." Without waiting for a reply, Sirius grabbed a chair from a nearby table and sat with them. Ignoring the two glaring pairs of eyes.

"So," Sirius started cheerfully, "Are you guys on a date?"

"What do you think?" Mary snapped. Sirius didn't react.

"Yes, Sirius, we were on a date before you interrupted," Remus said, looking pointedly at Sirius, then at the door.

Sirius acted like an oblivious idiot. "Then how about you guys take me with you on your little adventure?"

"No," Remus said bluntly.

"I'll come along anyway, Moony."

Remus growled again.

Remus had to restrain himself from killing Sirius right then. They were out of the Three Broomsticks and walking by the shops, entering some every now and then. And Sirius? He was talking loudly, ignoring the fact that he interrupted Remus's first date ever. Mary didn't seem to mind very much. She told Remus that it was okay and that she was enjoying herself. But Remus wasn't. He wanted it to be a day for him and Mary, only.

Suddenly, an arm wrapped, or rather, thrown around his shoulder and when he looked back, it was James. He groaned.

"Hey! Don't be such a moody git! I actually came here to save you!" James said, grinning.

"Save me?"

"Yup. From nosy Padfoot over there." Sirius gave an indignant cry at that.

"Sirius, how can you have the heart to intrude on a date like that? Let Remus have fun for once." James said, giving Sirius a disapproving look.

"He was having fun while I was with them, right Moony?"

Remus glared at him.

"Okay, probably not."

Remus sighed in relief when James dragged Sirius away by the ear and looked back at Mary, who smiling slightly at his friends.

"I'm sorry, I'll make it up to you, I promise," Remus said quickly.

She shook her head. "Don't worry about it, Remus. Besides, I know you will." She smiled at him. He smiled back at her and took her hand in his.

XXXX

James's POV:

James shook his head at Sirius who was trying to justify his action to a glaring Lily, who had her arms crossed on her chest. She was waiting for James when he went to drag Sirius away from the couple. In fact, she was the one who told him to "Go get your idiot friend." She also said that she was going to strangle Sirius.

"That is still NOT a plausible excuse to go barge in on a dating couple, Black. Aren't you happy that Remus finally is happy? It's his first date, for Merlin's sake! I want to tell you that Mary was ecstatic to finally go out with Remus, who she had a crush on since third year! And you go and ruin it for them? Why? Because you were _bored_?!" Lily's voice rose by the end. James tried to calm her down by putting his hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged it off and glared at him. He backed away.

"Evans, I…I'm sorry! Please don't kill me!" Lily's glare intensified.

James facepalmed.

Lily opens her mouth to berate Sirius again when James interrupted them.

"Okay! That's enough of that, Lily, he won't do that again, will you Sirius?" He looked at serious meaningfully. Sirius nodded hastily.

"See? Anyway, we came here to have fun, so how about we actually do that?" They agreed and they headed to Honeydukes.

All three of them walked in the streets of Hogsmeade, each eating some type of sweet or another. James caught movement from the corner of his eyes. Looking quickly to the side, he saw the back of Peter's head, just disappearing around the corner. He motioned for his friends to follow him and they quickly tiptoed to the end of the street and James peeked his head around the corner.

"That rat! What the hell is he doi-!" Sirius started but James quickly put his hand on his mouth to shut him up.

Lily hissed at him to 'shut it'.

Peter was watching someone from afar but wasn't the thing that caught James's attention. It was the person Peter was watching. He was staring at Rosaline McKinnon with dreamy eyes while she was talking to a friend. When her friend left, Peter walked towards her slowly. When she noticed him, she smiled kindly at him. He returned the smile shyly. And that's what made Sirius almost throw himself at them.

James caught Sirius's arms and pulled him back.

"Sirius, what the hell is wrong with you?!" James whispered furiously at his best friend.

"How dare Peter try to pursue my own girlfr-!" Sirius started but was interrupted, again, by Lily.

"Rosaline is NOT your girlfriend anymore Sirius, remember?"

"Yes, but…but he should know that I still love her! He can't-!" Sirius's voice was shaking a bit and James was horrified that his best friend was actually on the verge of _tears_.

Lily put her hand on his shoulder, "Its ok, Sirius, we understand. But Rosaline is not your possession and it's her choice whether she wants to move on or not."

"Besides," James added, "we're not even sure that Peter likes her let alone if she shares the same feelings. Cheer up."

Sirius took a deep breath and nodded.

James took a last look at Peter and saw that he was talking to Rosaline, and he wasn't shy. He was actually talking to her with some confidence he never knew Peter had before. It surprised and somehow worried James. He wanted Sirius to be with Rosaline because she made him happy. And Peter having the courage to speak to Rosaline might eventually be more than that. He just hoped Rosaline won't use that to break his friend's heart.

* * *

 **That's it! The chapter is over. We know There isn't really any exciting scene here, but this chapter was sort of focussed only on some Mary/Remus, and to make you suspicious...Oooooh. See you in the next chapter! Hope you enjoyed!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimers: HP is not ours. (Prongs: I'm getting sick of this disclaimer thing)**

 **Authors' note: Ok, first off, we can't see any reviews. At all. It's getting disappointing really. We really want to know what you guys think about our story…this way, we're just writing and not receiving any comments or constructive reviews, even if we don't update regularly, we still do though. We kindly ask you guys to spare 2 seconds of your time to press the review button and tell us what you think. :p**

 **Second off: We just want to say…**

 **Enjoy! =D**

Chapter 4: Jilly's day out

James's POV:

After they dragged Sirius away from where Rosaline and Peter were talking, he excused himself and went back to Hogwarts. The rest felt sympathetic towards him but decided not to let their day get ruined. Besides, Sirius said he wanted to be alone, so they let him be.

Remus and Mary were still on their date. That left James and Lily. Alone. Together.

James looked at Lily, grinning slightly at her. She smiled back.

"So!" She said.

James raised an eyebrow. "So?"

"So…What are we going to do?"

James shrugged and put his hands in his pockets. "Wanna go to Honeydukes?" He asked.

Lily seemed to think for a minute. Then, "Yeah, sure."

Upon entering the busy shop, James immediately grabbed Lily's hand and dragged her over to the shelves that contained some of his favorite sweets. He ignored how she blushed slightly and took her hand out of his the moment they reached their destination.

"Hm…Have you ever tried Ice Mice?" James asked picking a package from the shelf.

Lily made a face. "I heard they cause your teeth to chatter like you're freezing or something."

James nodded, grinning. "Yeah. It makes you squeak too."

"No thanks."

James shrugged, "Ok, then. How about…this!" He took a wrapped lollipop from a shelf. "Acid Pops!"

"What do they do?" Lily asked, taking the sweet and examining it.

"Just burns a hole in your tongue," he said nonchalantly, "No big deal."

Lily blinked. "No big deal!?"

"It heals quickly!"

"James put it back."

He did so, grumbling.

"James, if you like your pranky sweets, you might as well stay here. I'll go check the other kinds." James watched her go then proceeded to pick some interesting sweets for him and for Sirius too. To lift his mood when they went back to Hogwarts.

He went over to where he spotted Lily and saw that she was on her tiptoes, trying to reach a box of Nougats from one of the upper shelves. He watched her in amusement for a moment, then, deciding to be a gentleman, he got the Nougats for her without even so much as stretching his arm.

He smirked as a glaring Lily took the box from him. "You're welcome."

"Shut up, James."

James laughed out loud. He patted Lily on the head as he would a child. She swatted him away.

"James Potter, I swear to Merlin if you didn't stop that right now-!"

"Alright, alright! Calm down Lily, geez. I'm just kidding!" James said, still grinning.

"Well, don't."

They both went to pay for their purchases, James insisting on paying for Lily, and after a heated argument that stopped when people started to complain that they were causing them to wait in the line unnecessarily, and which James won in the end. Obviously.

Grinning smugly, James led Lily out of Honeydukes, carrying both their purchases.

"James I can carry my own things you know!" Lily complained again.

"I know."

"I'm not an invalid!"

"I know."

"Well? Let me carry my things!"

"Nope."

"Ugh!"

They continued like this until they stopped in front of Quality Quidditch Supplies, which was James's idea. It took nearly an hour of James admiring everything to do with Quidditch until Lily forcefully dragged him outside of the shop.

Next, they stopped at a book store, on Lily's insistence. While James only stayed in the Quidditch shop for an hour or even less, Lily stayed for far more.

"Are you done yet, Lily?" James asked for the ninth time so far. She shushed him and continued checking out new book releases and such. James was almost dying of boredom.

"Lilyyy!" James whined.

"James quit talking!"

"You're taking too long!"

"Quit it!"

James huffed. Half an hour later, James had a stack of books in his arms, almost covering his face, while Lily rushed off saying she needed "one last book."

He put the books on the counter and went to help Lily, who was again struggling to reach a book on one of the high shelves. He snickered.

"What is it with you and high things?" He asked in a teasing tone, reaching up and getting the heavy tome for her.

"Thanks." She said reluctantly. James smirked.

After paying for the books, (Lily bullying James into letting her pay for _at least_ half of them) they shrank all their items and put them all in one bag.

After a while, James said, "You ARE short you know."

He barely missed her fist, thanks to his Quidditch reflexes, and the next thing he knew, Lily was chasing him all around Hogsmeade.

"And slow, too!" He yelled back at her, dodging people and laughing.

He knew that would fuel Lily's anger but he didn't expect her to actually catch up with him. He quickly ran into an alley between two buildings. He was dismayed when he found a dead end and turned around to see Lily advancing on him, smiling evilly. James gulped.

"Not so fast now are you?" She said, still moving towards him.

"Come on, Lily this isn't fair! It's a dead-end!" James tried to reason with her, retreating backward, while she walked forward.

Lily's POV:

Lily felt like the happiest person in the world. Yes, she might have acted very evil and all, but on the inside, she was bouncing in excitement. And happiness. Never would she have imagined running after James Potter would be this fun. She did imagine running after him and killing him. A long time ago. She decided this was better.

The look on his face made her laugh so hard, clutching her stomach.

"You are so silly, James. Honestly, I'm not going to actually kill you." She said, smiling, and wiped tears of laughter from her eyes."

"Well, you damn well looked like you were!" James said, smiling in slight relief. Lily tutted, "Language." James rolled his eyes.

She watched as James made to move away from the wall when she decided to make a move. She lunged forward until she was suddenly right in front of him. He quickly stumbled back to the wall.

"L-lily, you're scaring me, honestly." James sputtered. Lily smiled innocently.

"Why would I scare you? I'm not doing anything."

"Err…" She watched in satisfaction as James gulped, his cheeks were slightly red.

"Oh, the great James Potter is speechless. Never thought I'd see that day."

James moved his hand, probably to move her away or something, but she grabbed his hand and just looked at him, watching as his face turned a darker shade of red.

She sighed and stepped back, ignoring the little voice in her head, reprimanding her on not kissing him. She was very close to doing just that but decided now is not the right time. Besides, watching James blush like that was very entertaining. It was worth it. Wait.

Did she just see disappointment cross James's face?

Nah, probably imagining it.

James was looking flustered and seemed like he didn't know what to do with himself. The poor guy.

"Well? Why are you just standing there? Let's go!" She turned and left the small alley they were in and waited for James on the main street. It was a few minutes before James came out and they both walked aimlessly. After a while of, slightly, awkward silence, James spoke.

"Lily-" Before he said anything, Lily stopped him and, taking a deep breath, she said, "That didn't mean anything." Yes, it did.

James looked away, and her heart broke a little.

'I-it's just," he ran his hand through his hair, nervously, "Um, for a moment there, I thought-"

Again she interrupted him, "I wasn't going to do anything. I was just joking around with you James."

He bit his lower lip and nodded firmly to himself. "Yeah. Yeah, I know. Sorry."

"It's ok," Lily said, wanting to hug him and tell him what she really felt about him and that he shouldn't apologize.

Thinking that their conversation was over she started to walk again (apparently they stopped to talk at some point), but his voice stopped her.

"No. No, it's not ok. I…I _promised_. I promised I won't bother you with my advances. I promised _myself_ that I won't think of you as more than a friend and I…" He looked like he was either going to cry or punch himself.

"James. You didn't make any advances. This is my fault. I'm the one who caused you to misunderstand the situation. You shouldn't apologize. It's ok." Lily said firmly.

He nodded again and smiled slightly. "So…Friends again?" He asked hesitantly.

She smiled despite her heart screaming at her. "Yes. Friends again."

XXXX

"Lily, that was so insensitive of you! Why did you do that?! Why didn't you just accept him as your boyfriend when he asked you last year! That would have made matters way easier!" Alice said to a grumpy Lily when she told her best friend what happened. Alice sounded so frustrated with her friend and Lily couldn't blame her. She looked at her bedsheets stubbornly.

"I told you, Alice, I don't know what made me do that! I don't even…Ugh! I'm supposed to hate him! Why is this so hard!?"

Alice stared at Lily, "Oh my God! What is so hard about just accepting the fact that you love him?"

"I don't know! It just is, ok?"

"No, it's NOT ok! That doesn't even make any sense!" Lily still refused to even acknowledge what her friend was saying. "Ugh! You make me want to pull my hair out! Honestly!"

"I know I was insensitive. Making him think I would kiss him or something then step back, but…really, I was about to do it then remembered I shouldn't. And…he apologized. Why did he apologize?" Lily sighed sadly, remembering the heartbroken look on his face.

"Well, maybe because he didn't want to lose you?" Alice provided helpfully.

Lily felt her guilt increase. "I'm not that cruel…I wouldn't have stopped being friends for that because I know it wasn't his fault."

"He loves you. As simple as that."

"He wants to go back to being friends you know. Just _friends._ "

"Well, wasn't that what you wanted?"

"No, I mean yes, but…" Lily sighed again, "I don't want that anymore, Alice."

Alice regarded her quietly, then, "Lily, I got to say that I don't approve of you… _controlling_ him like that. You either love him or you don't. You don't get to play with him like that, it's not fair. The poor thing."

Lily was quiet.

Alice patted her on the shoulder. "I wish you luck with your love life, Lily. Think about what I told you. I have to meet Frank in, like, now. Bye!" And she left Lily to her thoughts.

XXXX

James's POV:

James shifted on the couch he was sitting on. Sirius was happily eating the sweets James got for him, all negative thoughts erased from his mind. For now.

James, however, was in quite the opposite state. He was confused, sad, angry, heartbroken, and annoyed, all at once.

"Prongs, get over it. You wanna know what I think? I think she has feelings for you and she really did want to do something there for a moment. She's just in denial." Sirius said sagely, a lollipop in his mouth. James just sighed. He sort of knew that but still…

Sirius sighed dramatically and stood from his place on the opposite couch and sat next to James.

"James, mate, your problem is that you're too…easy, you know what I mean? It's great you're in love and all, but don't act like you're head over heels, even if you are. You have to show that you're this cool person who doesn't care and all that. She'll know your worth then, and SHE will come to you instead of you running after her like her personal Padfoot."

James couldn't help but laugh. "You're one to talk, though. Sirius, not two minutes ago you were moping around for the same reason! The only reason you stopped is that I gave you sweets." James rolled his eyes.

"You notice that because you're my best friend, but Rosy doesn't. And it's the same for all the girls at Hogwarts. All they see is this guy who doesn't care and who has lots of other things to live for. But…I still feel guilty for, you know, screaming at her like that. And now she's going to find someone else." Sirius said sadly. "Honestly, why does this have to happen with the girl that I _actually_ like?"

James patted him on the shoulder. "Look, how about we forget all about girls and do something fun?" He said, feeling excited just thinking about the word 'fun'.

Sirius turned to face him with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Oh, like what?"

And they settled for planning out some fun things to do.

XXXX

James was in a relatively good mood after he returned with Sirius from McGonagall's office. Their mission was to try and make her accept an apple from them. Off course, she was very suspicious and refused to take the apple. In the end, Sirius annoyed her to point that made her take that apple from James's hand and threatening them both of detention for a week if they didn't get out of her office. They quickly did, cackling madly. Unfortunately, they didn't know if she ate the apple or not, but it was fun riling her up anyway.

He was walking down one of the corridors leading to the secret passage behind the one-eyed witch, hands in his pockets, and whistling quietly. Sirius was stuck studying with Remus because Remus forced him to. Of course, James didn't study with them. His excuse was that he studied from before, which was true, surprisingly enough. Just as he was about to tap his wand on the statue, a dark figure stepped out from the shadows and James sighed in exasperation. Turning around and rolling his eyes, James said, "Snape."

"Potter," Snape sneered.

James folded his arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow. "Was there something you needed?" He said sarcastically.

Snape stepped closer in what he probably thought was a threatening move. "Listen, _Potter_ , this attitude of yours won't unfazed me."

"What attitude? You're the one thinking you'd creep me out or something." James said, waving his hand vaguely towards where Snape was standing. "Anyway, I don't want to hear or do whatever it is you're here for, which is probably fighting, so if you don't mind…" James made to move around Snape but wasn't able to due to Snape moving to block his way. James sighed again. Oh well, it looks like he would fight after all.

"Why are you even following me? Aren't you supposed to have a life or something?" James said.

"I came to warn you, Potter."

"Warn me? What's that supposed to mean?"

Snape snarled. "It was because of you that Lily no longer wants me as a friend. I tried so hard to get her back but _you_ , you keep getting in the way."'

"What?! You're the one at fault here, remember? You were involved in trying to kill me, tried to Obliviate her, and let's not forget that you're a Death Eater. Who would want to be friends with that?"

Suddenly, Snape was in his face before James could blink. "I would watch my back if I were you." He said that quietly.

"Are you threatening me!? Look here, Snivellus, I tried to keep my distance all year last year and it was because I decided to grow up that you still have your greasy nose intact. Don't think a couple of words will scare me." James said, also getting in Snape's face.

"Oh, you might not care about your own safety, but what about your loved ones? Lily perhaps? Black? The werewolf?"

James's heart jumped to his throat and he swallowed. He punched Snape and heard with satisfaction the crack of a broken nose. "Don't you even DARE threaten to hurt my friends, and especially Lily, you hear me? Now _I_ am warning _you_."

He angrily stomped off. He needed to calm down before he killed someone, namely Snape. And he needed to see Lily.

* * *

 **There! How was this chapter? Some action started and some tension! *wink wink**

 **Now you guys, you all know how busy Padfoot is right now and probably for a very long time, so I'm here on my own. I, Prongs, want to know what you guys want to know and see and what things do you want to be explained here in this story from the last one cuz I forgot some stuff.**

 **Hope you enjoyed this chapter and see you in the next one!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimers: You know by now.**

 **Prongs: I am so sorry to make you guys wait so long! We had loads of stuff to do these days and moving houses and such. To make it up, I decided to start with a new POV this time! And for that person who wanted a Jilly kiss…You'll have to wait a bit. Sorry! *evil laugh**

 **Enjoy**

Chapter 5: Meetings

Peter's POV:

Peter sighed, somewhat miserably, as he headed to their meeting place. He was supposed to meet them five minutes ago. He knew they would laugh and mock him. He hated what he was doing, but he couldn't take back his decision. That would mean death. And Peter was afraid of death. Whenever he thought of it he felt sick. James and Sirius and Remus were all brave and courageous and he, he was considered a coward. And he knew it.

He arrived at the entrance to an abandoned classroom. He could hear hushed whispers coming from the classroom and he hesitantly opened the door. He peeked inside and had a fleeting thought of running away. That thought was crushed when Nott saw him.

"Pettigrew! Finally! Took you long enough." The rest laughed.

"You can't afford to be tardy now, can you? Got to practice being on time or the Dark Lord won't be pleased with you." Avery said mockingly, but seriously. He wasn't smiling. Or smirking.

Peter nodded fearfully.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Come in, we haven't got all day!"

He stumbled in quickly and shut the door behind him. He looked around the room at the scary-looking Slytherins. There were about twelve of them in the room. He squashed the worry he felt because twelve future Death Eaters were too much. But he wasn't one to talk. He was one of them after all. Peter gulped and joined them in their semi-circle.

"Now, as we were saying, the attempt on Potter's life last year was a failure. We all know that he is a danger to the Dark Lord and his plans. It's our job to do something about it. Nott heard his father talking about how our Lord was not pleased, and we don't want that, do we?" They all shook their heads. "Ever since Zabini's failure, Dumbledore decided to keep us under strong supervision. We could hardly find a meeting place and time without suspicion. We will have to meet in small groups and not in one place. We should be very discreet or else we will follow Zabini in Azkaban. It is good I already thought of a plan of action. You all remember The Prophecy don't you? We need to kill Potter in any way possible. We'll plan a series of attacks. We'll keep planning and attacking until we succeed, which we will."

Peter felt sick, his heart hammering in his chest. He was grateful when the poisoning last year failed, but this?

"Oh and this time, you will be part of all of them, do you hear me, Pettigrew?" Malfoy added cruelly. Peter could do nothing else but nod his head, feeling that awful guilt he felt every time he agreed to do something they asked of him.

"Then it's settled."

XXXX

Peter walked back to the common room, trying not to cry. When he joined them, it seemed like a good idea at the time. The Dark Lord was very powerful and had lots of followers. When he declares war, Peter would be on the stronger, winning side. But now, his friends are going to be involved. He did not know how he would look them in the eye ever again.

"Hey there, Peter!" The voice stopped him. He schooled his features in a smile, although a nervous one, before turning to the voice.

"R-Remus! Hello!" He said. Remus had his school back slung on his shoulder, a book under his arm. "Were you in class?"

"Yes. History of Magic. Peter, can I talk to you for a moment?" Remus asked kindly.

Peter's heart almost plummeted to his stomach. "A-about what? There's nothing to talk about!" Remus looked at him with concern, it almost broke his heart to see it directed at HIM.

"I think there is." Remus started walking, obviously expecting Peter to walk with him, which he reluctantly did.

They walked in silence for a few moments, then Remus started talking.

"Peter, I know what you're doing." Peter's heart almost stopped.

"W-what? Y-you do?" He squeaked. Remus nodded solemnly. Peter held his breath and waited for Remus to start speaking. He couldn't have possibly figured it out, could he?

Remus sighed. "You shouldn't do this to yourself, Peter. We're your friends."

"I-I had no choice!" Peter was panicking. Did he know about the plans, too?

"Yes, you had a choice, and you still do. You could've talked to us at any time. You're trying to distance yourself from us for some reason. I know you might feel left out sometimes because James and Sirius joke around together and I usually read and study, and that you feel like you have no one to sit with and spend time with most of the time, but we're not all that bad! You shouldn't distance yourself from your friends, Peter." Remus finished kindly.

Peter gave a small, inaudible sigh of relief. So _that's_ what it was all about. He was thankful he didn't let anything slip.

"Yeah, it's fine, Remus, I'm not trying to get away from you guys or anything. I'll try to spend more time with you. Thank you, though." Peter said, now feeling calmer than he did a few seconds ago. Remus smiled.

"That's what I want to hear. And no need to thank me. That's what we're here for, right?" Peter forced a smiled and nodded. Remus patted his shoulder. Peter looked around and found that they were standing right outside of their common room. He watched as Remus said the password and entered first. Peter followed, but he couldn't stop the feeling of guilt and he felt even more wretched than before. How could he do this to his friends?

XXXX

Sirius's POV:

Sirius furiously scratched at something on his parchment. He was bored out of his mind. He had been sitting here, doing his late Charms essay for the past, what, half an hour? He also couldn't stop thinking about her. Rosy. He kept seeing her all over the school, every day. She seemed like she was enjoying her life without him, going through her routine that Sirius knew by heart now. Merlin, he was starting to turn into James! Sirius didn't want Rosy to be miserable, but he wanted to at least know that she was missing him. But she seemed okay, and that bothered Sirius. What if she decided to move on? Then again, Sirius broke up with her for a reason. Her family hated him, and he did not want to cause her trouble.

Sirius sighed and massaged his temples, trying to focus on his homework. James wasn't there to keep him company. He was in the library getting books for both of them. A nasty job. They had to arm wrestle and the loser got to go. James lost to Sirius's spectacular strength and now he was in the library, looking for the right books to help with their work.

He was startled out of his thoughts when Remus's voice said, "Sirius is studying! Actually studying without anyone telling him to!"

"Haha, very funny Remus." Sirius rolled his eyes. "Can you at least make yourself useful and help me with this?"

Remus shook his head but sat down next to him and looked at his messy parchment.

"What IS that?" Remus muttered. "Sirius, you're hopeless. Where's James?"

"In the library. And I'm not hopeless!"

"The library? Wow, what has the world come to!" Remus said. "Sirius you need to redo this. I'll write some notes to help you but this thing is useless." And he proceeded to do just that.

"James went there because he had to. We needed some books. He obviously didn't go there to have fun." Sirius said, rolling his eyes.

"Obviously," Remus muttered, scribbling on the parchment.

"What I want to know, though, is why it's taking him too long." Sirius thought for a moment. "Oh! Was Lily in your class?"

Remus nodded distractedly.

"And why didn't she come with you?" Sirius asked.

"She went to the library."

"Aha! _That's_ why Prongs is late. He is probably talking with Lily or something."

Remus then looked around. "Where's Peter? He came with me on my way here."

"I'm here, Remus." Said a quiet voice behind them. They both turned around to find Peter standing behind their couch.

"Peter! Where were you? Did you just come in?" Remus asked.

"Yeah, I was in the bathroom," Peter said, then came around and sat in a chair near them, getting out his own homework.

Sirius, who barely notices things, notice that Peter's eyes were a bit red. Whether from lack of sleep or crying, he didn't know. Maybe it was really nothing.

"There," Remus said, handing him the parchment. "Get a new parchment and use these notes to write your essay."

"Thank you, Remus. I'll wait for the books, though."

Just then, the portrait opened and James came in and, not surprisingly, Lily was next to him. Lily was prattling about something and James was listening attentively. Sirius snorted.

"Hey, James! Took you long enough! I need the books you know."

James placed the books on the table and sat down next to Lily.

"Yeah, I tried getting some books that we could need. Needed some help. I'm glad Lily was there." James grinned.

Sirius dragged the books to him and picked one, and started the long process of researching for his homework.

XXXX

Remus's POV:

Remus looked at his watch then started packing his stuff. It was after dinner and they were back in the common room.

"Where are you going, Moony?" James asked, looking up from the Map.

"I have a meeting with Mary in two minutes. I have to go. We'll be back before curfew." Remus said.

"Obviously," Sirius muttered.

Remus ignored him and left the common room. She was supposedly waiting for him by the lake, that's where they agreed to meet after she was done from the library with some of her friends.

He arrived to find Mary sitting on a rock, her feet dangling in the water, shoes off to the side. When she heard him approach she raised her head and smiled at him.

"Hey, Remus!"

He smiled back at her, "Hello. Was I late?"

"No. Actually," she looked at her watch, "You're right on time. Not surprising. I just decided to come here a bit earlier because we finished studying and I had nothing else to do." She finished with a shrug. She made way for him next to her on the rock.

He chuckled. "Do I have to take off my shoes, too?"

"Yup! We're both going to wet our feet."

He complied and took off his shoes and socks and put them neatly next to Mary's. He cast a cushioning charm on the rock before sitting down.

"Oh, that's way better! I can't believe I didn't think of that." Mary said, wiggling a bit to get more comfortable. Remus couldn't help but laugh, and she blushed a little.

They sat in silence for a while, which gave Remus time to think. Should he tell her that he was a werewolf? Or was it too soon? What if they were to be together forever? He would have to tell her at some point.

"Remus?" His train of thought was interrupted. "Remember last year? When we went to that ball together?" She asked, looking at him.

Remus winced and nodded.

"You didn't want to go with me then. I could tell from the beginning. I know you thought I was clingy, and I sort of was at the time, not because I was desperate, but…because you're such a sweet person, and I don't know why you never had a girlfriend by the way. I'm so glad that I get to be the first to see the real Remus Lupin and stuff. You always gave the impression that you were a nerd," She laughed, "which you still are, but you're still so very kind and sweet and any girl will dream to be with you. MY dream came true." She finished with a smile, tucking a hair behind her ear self-consciously when he kept staring at her.

"You're so beautiful," he murmured almost to himself. She giggled slightly. "I still think you deserve better than me. Even if you don't want to admit it."

Mary huffed in frustration. "There is nothing to admit! I deserve to choose who I want to be with. And you deserve it too! I don't get why you have such a low self-esteem."

Remus looked away.

"Remus?"

He smiled slightly and looked back at her. "Speaking of the ball. I think you deserved to have a better time. I ruined it for you last year and I plan to make it up to you."

"What do you mean?"

Instead of answering, he took a wireless radio that he had shrunk from his pocket and returned it to its original size. He put it on the rock where he was sitting.

"Remus, what is that? I mean, I know it's a wireless radio, but what are you going to do with it?" Mary asked again, getting curious.

"Be patient, Mary," Remus said while trying to turn the radio on. "Sirius gave this to me. And I do remember telling you that I'll make up for last year's ball just moments ago. Aha!" Music started coming out of the radio. It was a calm, slow melody.

Remus held out his hand, and Mary, looking like she finally got what he meant, took the offered hand and stood up when he pulled her slightly. He started leading her to dance and she laughed quietly, putting her hands on his chest, blushing. They danced barefoot on the cool grass that tickled their feet slightly, and it was amazing.

"You should know, though," Mary said, "That you didn't have to do this. Even if I'm elated, which I am."

"I sure hope you're happy, but I just feel like doing this for you," Remus said, twirling her around. He smiled when she squealed then laughed before she came back from her twirl to his chest.

And right then, Remus decided that he would rather enjoy this moment to the fullest. He would tell her his secret later.

* * *

 **Ta ta! How was it, guys? Please tell me what you want to see before we start the action! I really hope you enjoyed this one and see you in the next chapter! Review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: Jily isn't mine!**

 **A/N: Hello! Thank you for you guys' reviews and for sticking around with this story. Hope you enjoy this chapter and the many ones to come. I've been writing as much as I can, I swear! Even if it's taking long to update. Just one more thing: I am always glad to hear what you think of this story and anything you would like to add.**

 **Enjoy! :)**

Chapter 6: Lots of Drama

Rosaline's POV:

Rosaline sighed and folded the letter she was reading. It was another letter from her brother, Jacob. He was asking about school, but mostly hinting towards his dislike for Sirius. She sighed. She missed him. She felt so alone since the break up and she was having a hard time from some of the girls in Ravenclaw. They were making fun of her and saying nasty things like the reason Sirius broke up with her was because she was undeserving. Especially Cloe Alworth. She was worst of all.

So far, Sirius hasn't been talking to her. She might make it seem like she did not care, but she did. She did not know how he is doing after their break up. She hoped he missed her as much as she does.

She got up from her place on the Ravenclaw common room couch and decided o take a walk. She needed some fresh air. And she needed to clear her head.

The halls were busy with students, some going to classes, and some doing whatever. And since Rosaline had a free period at the moment, she wanted to spend it on something other than reading and studying for a change. The moment she was out on the grounds, she made her way to a tree and sat beneath it. She closed her eyes and let the gentle breeze blow her blond hair away from her face. It was very relaxing.

A timid clearing of a throat made her open her eyes. A few feet away from her, stood none other than Peter Pettigrew. He was always trying to talk to her a lot these days. She thought it was sweet since he was a very nice person and seemed to like her. Maybe because of that time in the ball when she danced with him.

She gave him a kind smile. "What is it, Peter? Is something wrong?" She asked.

"No no, nothing is wrong. Just…c-can I sit with you? I have a free period too." He said. It was cute how he tried to act brave.

She nodded. "Of course." She made space for him and he sat down, although a bit hesitant.

There was silence and it looked like Peter was gathering his courage, by the way he was frowning and looking determinedly at the ground

"Peter?"

He looked at her and took a deep breath. She had a feeling she knew what was going to happen, but before she could think more on it, he started talking.

"Rosaline, I…I know that we don't know each other so well, and that you might not think much of me, but…I really l-like you! I really do and…I've liked you for a long time. Since you were dating Sirius."

Rosaline stared at him.

"What is the meaning of this?" She asked calmly.

"It means that I…would really like to ask you out."

"Peter," she said very quietly, "You said you liked me while I was dating Sirius. Your supposed friend. You do realize that this is betrayal?"

"But you guys broke up! You don't like him anymore, right?" Peter asked her, almost desperately. She couldn't bring herself to feel bad for him.

"Peter, I think you know full well the reason we broke up in the first place. He told you guys, didn't he?"

Peter nodded, biting his lips.

"Then you _know_ that we broke up not because we stopped loving each other. At least…I never stopped loving him. I don't know about him but I'm sure he'll come back to his senses soon, and realize that he was being an idiot." She said confidently. She felt sure that Sirius didn't hate her. And she could prove it by the way he kept looking at her when he thought she wasn't looking.

Peter was quiet. Then said, "How do you know he still loves you? How can you be sure he's not with another girl right now?" He demanded.

She gasped. "How _dare_ you! Are you trying to convince me that Sirius is in a relationship, when I know full well he is not?! Peter how can you do this!"

Peter looked down. She saw him clench his fists and that's when she knew. He was trying to make her date him. He was trying to jeopardize her relationship with Sirius. She knew it wasn't too late for them to get together, because she found a letter in one of her books when she went back to the dorm after a defense class with the Gryffindors. It was from him and he said he wanted to talk to her.

She pushed him away angrily. "Peter don't you ever talk to me again, don't even come near me, or even speak about me! I am very disappointed in you! This is not how I imagined you will be!" She stood up. "I'm going back inside. I am not even sure if I should tell Sirius about thi-" She didn't get too finish her sentence. Peter quickly stood up.

"No!" He interrupted her. "Please d-don't tell him! I beg you! I'm sorry, this will never happen again, I swear! Just…Just don't tell any of them!" He begged, desperately.

Rosaline stared at him. She didn't grace him with a reply and simply turned around and headed back inside. She had a lot to think about. Besides, she needed to calm down before her meeting with Sirius.

XXXX

Sirius's POV:

Sirius wiped his sweaty palms on his robes and took another deep breath to calm himself. It wasn't helping. He was officially freaking out about meeting Rosy again. He rehearsed what he was going to say in his head for the third time. He was determined to do this right. He walked determinedly to their meeting place: in front of the Ravenclaw house. Because as the gentleman that he was, he decided to not make it hard for her and meet her just outside her house.

He was surprised, however, when he found her coming from the opposite way to her common room.

"Rosaline!" He exclaimed. "I thought you would be in the common room."

She didn't react. She just continued walking until she stood in front of him. "Do you want to talk here or somewhere with less people?" She asked.

Sirius stared for a second, then quickly said, "Whatever makes you comfortable."

"Then let's go somewhere with less people." Without waiting for him, she turned around and led him to a quiet corridor. She then turned around. "You said you wanted to talk to me." She said.

He nodded and took a deep breath. The first thing that came out of his mouth was. "I still love you."

There was a moment of shocked silence. Sirius swallowed back his panic when Rosaline said nothing and just stared with what seemed like surprise.

"You see, when I was at James's house that time and we…fought, I didn't mean anything I said. I never wanted to break up with you. I still want to be with you because you are a kind, sweet person and anyone would wish to be with you. I am really sorry for what I did. It was just that…I didn't want to cause trouble between you and your brother and I know he hates me and now I'm sure YOU hate me and-" He was stopped by Rosy's finger on his lips. He looked at her and found her smiling sadly.

"Sirius, why are you apologizing?" She asked, her tone sad. "You shouldn't apologize because it's not your fault. If anything, it's mine. And it's more Jacob's fault than any of ours'. It's none of his business who I date and my parents and Marlene approve. Why should we ruin our relationship just because he doesn't like it? Do you think I care? With or without us being together, I'm still not talking to him. It's my choice, not his. And that was what I was trying to tell you that day. I'm sorry I slapped you by the way."

"Oh, I wasn't mad about that." Sirius said, grinning slightly.

"Really? Why?" Rosy asked, confused. Sirius just shrugged.

"I love you too, by the way." Rosaline said quietly. Sirius couldn't fight the huge smile that appeared on his face.

"Can I hug you?" He said. She laughed and nodded. He hugged her tightly and even carried her off the ground, turning around twice with her in his arms. She was laughing and he never felt happier.

"So, does that mean we're together now?" Sirius asked, putting her back on the floor.

Rosy hit his chest gently. "Yes, you dummy." There was a pause. "If you want to, that is."

"Of course, I want to! I just didn't want problems with your family, but then you said you didn't mind so…" Sirius rubbed the back of his neck.

She kissed him on the cheek. "How about we take a walk?"

XXXX

James's POV:

James sighed. He continued to stare at the back of Lily's head, the professor's voice droning on and on in the background. But he didn't care. All he did care about at the moment was Lily. Her hair was so beautiful today. It was raised elegantly into a high ponytail, two strands framing her face, and she looked brilliant. She usually doesn't raise her hair in a ponytail, but when she does, James couldn't help but stare.

He was still lost in his musings when suddenly, instead of a red ponytail, a pretty, slightly freckled face with a raised red eyebrow was what he was looking at instead.

He smiled sheepishly and waved. Lily's eyebrow, rose higher and she gave him a questioning glance.

He just smiled back.

She sighed and mouthed to him, ' _Focus._ '

"I can't." He whispered. She shushed him and quickly turned to look at the professor to see if he noticed. He didn't. James smirked when she looked back at him with a slight glare.

To James's surprise, Lily took out an empty parchment from her bag. She dipped her quill in her inkwell and started scribbling on the parchment. She then quickly slipped it on his desk without turning around. James read it and it said:

' _Why are you staring at me?'_

Smiling, he dipped his own quill in ink and wrote back: _'I'm not!'_

He slid it over her shoulder. A few seconds later the paper was returned to him.

' _Yes, you are and I can feel you staring.'_

' _Alright you caught me. I can't take my eyes off of your hair. It looks beautiful today by the way.'_

' _Oh really? Thank you, I guess.'_ James could see Lily blush slightly while slipping him the paper.

' _I am sorry. Was that annoying for you?'_ James asked.

' _No, it wasn't.'_

' _Oh, that's good. What's the professor talking about?'_

' _Well, if_ someone _allowed me to focus, I would have known.'_

James started writing a reply when suddenly he felt a shadow over him and he gulped.

"Mister Potter."

"Hey there, Professor." James said with his trademark smile.

"Will you and Miss Evans stop passing notes in my class? It's quite distracting." He saw Lily stiffening and he felt guilty for causing her embarrassment.

James rubbed the back of his head. "Err, of course sir. It was my fault, though, not Lily's."

"That's enough, mister Potter. I would like to continue my class. No disturbances."

XXXX

James ran after Lily when the class ended. She had gotten up immediately and left. He stopped right in front of the class and looked around. When he spotted her red hair just turning the corner, he called her name and quickly followed her.

When he rounded the corner, he bumped into Lily who apparently stopped and turned around when he called her name. She started to fall backwards and he quickly took her hand in his and pulled her, causing her to rest on his chest due to her imbalance.

"Hey there, Lily. You okay?" James asked, looking down at her. He smirked when he found her face hidden in his robes, the tips of her ears bright red. She cleared her throat and looked up. Her face was red from embarrassment and James was sure it wasn't because of what happened in class.

"Yes, James I'm fine." She said, then her eyes widened when she realized that when she looked up, their faces were only inches apart. She quickly jumped back and glared at James.

"Why are you looking at me like that? You should thank me not glare at me! You would have fallen on-" He was cut off by Lily's hand on his mouth.

"Don't finish this sentence." She said warningly. He gave her an innocent look with his eyes, since his mouth was still covered. "And don't give me that look! I _know_ what you were going to say."

James mentally smirked then…he licked Lily's hand.

She gasped and snatched her hand away, wiping it frantically on her robes.

"Potter, that's _disgusting_!"

James doubled over laughing. Lily wasn't impressed.

James tried controlling his laughter. He wiped mirth tears and said, still smiling, "First, when did we revert to surnames? And second, it's your fault for putting your hand over my mouth in the first place." He crossed his arms over his chest.

"Humph! You are being an idiot!" Lily said.

"I am not! You're the one in a bad mood! Is it the girl thing?" He asked wagging his eyebrows. She smacked him on his arm.

"Alright! I'm sorry, jeez." James rubbed at his abused arm. "That hurts, Lily."

She rolled her eyes. "No, it doesn't. I can show you what _really_ hurts if you didn't shut up."

James mimed zipping his mouth. Lily nodded in satisfaction.

Lily started walking and James hurried to walk next to her. After a moment of silence, James said,

"You know, I wasn't going to say anything _inappropriate_ or whatever, I was just going to say that you would have fell on the ground if it wasn't for me."

He got another smack and he shut up.

XXXX

"Lily!" James whined. "I thought we were heading to the common room, not the Library!" He scrunched his face in disgust at the mention of the place they were in.

"You're the one who came with me. You don't like it, leave." Lily replied, getting a book and heading to a table.

Of course, James stayed. He also saw the smirk on Lily's face when he sat across from her. He sighed. She knew him too well.

James, in boredom, decided to do his homework if they're staying in the library. After what seemed like hours, a distraction in the form of Sirius Black came to his rescue.

"I can't believe this! James Potter, studying in the library!" Sirius said loudly before a shush from Madame Pince shut him up.

James looked up and sighed in relief. "Sirius, you won't believe how happy I am to see you right now. It was torture!"

Lily rolled her eyes. "It has been half an hour."

"No, it wasn't! It seemed like three hours!"

"You're such a drama queen, James."

"No, Lily, dear, Sirius is the drama queen. I am the handsome prince. Or Knight in shining armor." James said. Lily shook her head at him.

"Hey!" Sirius complained. "I'm not a drama queen!"

"Yes, you are." Lily and James said in the same time.

"Anyway. James you do notice that you have been spending more time with Lily than with me, your best friend, right?" Sirius asked, seating himself next to James.

"Hmm. No? I spend time with you guys in equal measures." James said. "Oh! How did it go by the way? Did you and McKinnon make up?"

Sirius almost bounced on his seat in excitement. "Yes! We did! We took a walk and then we had to go to class. I think she still has a class, though." He was smiling widely.

James put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I'm happy for you, mate."

A minute later, Lily's friends Mary and Alice came into the library as well.

"Well, it looks like the whole school is going to meet here today."

"Quiet, James." Mary said. "We came to see our friend."

"And do our homework." Alice added. Mary waved her hand in dismissal. They sat themselves next to Lily. The bench was just enough for three.

Sirius stood up. "Well, I'll go now. Leave you with all those girls, James!" And he left the library, humming quietly to himself. James shook his head. He looked back at the girls and found them all talking about some gossip or whatever. Even Lily was participating in the conversation.

 _Never thought Lily was the gossiping type,_ James thought smiling slightly.

"Why are you smiling?" Lily voice interrupted his thought. James looked at them and found them all staring at him.

"What? I smile a bit and you suddenly think its suspicious or something?" James said, rolling his eyes.

"Oooh, he's probably thinking of a certain someone." Mary said. Alice nodded smiling teasingly at Lily.

"A certain Lily, for example." She said. Lily rolled her eyes at her friends.

"Seriously, I'm sitting in front of him, why would he be thinking about me?"

"Oh, you're so naïve Lily."

"Guys, I'm sitting right here, you know that, right?" James said. He stood up. "Well, I'll just go grab a book for homework and come back. You better be done with your gossiping and on your way when I'm back." He said, looking at Mary and Alice pointedly.

"Oooh, he wants to spend alone time with Lily!"

James wanted to face palm. He walked between the shelves to look for the book he needed for his Potions essay.

It took him a long time of looking through books to find the right one, and when he finally did, he almost cried in relief. He started walking back to the table when he suddenly toppled backwards, all he could see before falling was red.

He groaned in pain. He felt a weight on top of him and he opened his eyes, which he closed on impact, and saw the face of a horrified Lily starting right back. He heard giggling and running footsteps and knew what just happened.

"Oh my God, James are you alright?!" Lily asked, scrambling to get up. He took hold of her arms to stop her from moving.

"Yes, I'm fine. I hit my head though." He said, wincing.

Lily looked at him expectantly and he realized that she was waiting for him to let go of her arms.

"Just move carefully. I don't want you hitting any important parts while getting up." He said, letting go of her arms. She blushed furiously and pushed at his chest to get up.

After she stood up, James did as well, rubbing at the back of his aching head. He picked the book that fell from him from the floor and dusted his robes.

"Well, not that I didn't enjoy the fact that you were on me or anything, but I would really prefer it if your friends never do this again. And I mean _never_."

Lily nodded. "I agree. It wasn't exactly my idea." She sighed in exasperation. "I don't know why these two act like crazy fangirls sometimes. I'm so mad at them right now. Actually, I'm going to _kill_ them."

James laughed. "Calm down, Lils. It's ok. I don't mind."

"Of course, _you_ don't mind." Lily huffed. She blew a dangling hair from her face and said, "Do you need help with that Potion homework or do I go back to the common room?"

"And leave me here all alone? I'm lucky I need help then." He smiled cheekily. She rolled her eyes and they both sat back on their table for the long process of Lily trying to make James understand.

* * *

 **There! Chapter 6 done! Hope you guys liked that bit of fluff from our two favorite ships! I personally loved the Jily part the most. Also, I hope this chapter was long enough. The next chapters are where the action begins!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello everyone! That was a bit of long waiting wasn't it? I'm sorry about that, but I'm sure you don't want to know my life story. On with the other, more fun story then!**

 **Enjoy ;)**

Chapter 7: Jealousy and a Birthday

Lily's POV:

"Hey, Lily!" James greeted as he fell into step with Lily.

"Hey, James," Lily replied distractedly while putting a book in her bag.

"So, how does spending the summer at my house sound?"

Lily looked up at him and smiled. "It sounds great!" She and James have grown a bit closer over the year and she didn't feel at all uncomfortable with spending the summer at his house. In fact, she loved it there! The year HAS passed quickly and all what's left was three and a half months of school. She was excited but in the same time apprehensive about school finishing. After her parents' death and the destruction of their house, Lily couldn't go home for any holidays. Dumbledore and even James helped in getting the house fixed, but Lily still didn't know what she would do for her future. "All summer, though?" She asked.

"Why not?" James shrugged.

"I don't know…"

"Come on Lily. What are you going to do in the summer anyway? After graduation, we have nothing to do! It's over! No school again! Although I will miss Hogwarts." James said. "Oh, and I don't look forward for N.E.W.T.s."

"I don't want to be a burden on your parents, James. Maybe, half at your house, and maybe you come over the next half of the summer? Until we find a suitable job and start the real life," Lily compromised. "And N.E.W.T.s are the most important exams, James, what are you talking about!"

"I know, Lily, calm down." James laughed slightly. Lily huffed. "I don't mind. Spending half of the summer at yours."

"Great then," Lily said. James grinned and was apparently going to say something when out of nowhere a random girl stood in front of him, closer than she should be, Lily might add, and started batting her eyelashes at him and flirting - and James? He was smiling at her, and not telling her to go away or anything. Lily was mad, for some reason. James shouldn't just allow anyone to flirt with him and – he's flirting back! Ugh!

' _What are you doing, girl? Are you going to let your man be taken away by some random girl?'_

' _Wait, since when did he become my man?'_

' _Who cares?! She's dragging him by the arm, look!'_

Before she knew it, Lily's arm shot forward and grabbed James's other arm. He looked back at her, confused, and she felt a bit bad. She shouldn't be confusing him like this. She told him that she doesn't want a romantic relationship with him and here she was, again, acting like he's her boyfriend or something. _'Who cares. It's for his own good_. _'_ She told herself.

The girl glared at her. "What do you want, _Evans_?"

Lily ignored her, eyes on James only. "James, shouldn't we be going somewhere?" Lily said, smiling tightly at James.

"Uh…we should?"

" _Yes_ , we should, James, let's go." Lily said, grinding her teeth slightly at James's oblivion.

"Oh, okay, I guess I have to go…" He looked back at the girl and gave her a charming smile. "Sorry," He said before Lily dragged him forcefully behind her.

"Lily!"

She ignored him until they reached a corridor that will lead to the common room. Then she stopped.

"What is _wrong_ with you!?" James exclaimed, frowning at her slightly. He looked annoyed.

"Didn't you notice how that girl acted? And where did she want to drag you off to, huh? You would have let her wouldn't you!" Lily said, voice raising gradually.

James stared. Then angrily said, "And what is it to you? Did you start to suddenly care who I go with and who I talk to?"

Lily was silent. Did she start caring? No, the question was: When did she start caring? She even felt jealous, for Merlin's sake! What was wrong with her!

James huffed impatiently. "Lily, I'm not sure what to think anymore! You know how I feel about you, why are you doing things like this?" He sounded angry and…sad. Lily felt guilty.

"James, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I just…" Lily paused. She thought of what exactly she was going to say. She couldn't hurt him again by saying she didn't feel anything for him after doing something for the second time that suggested otherwise.

"Yes, I care."

James gave her a questioning look. She sighed.

"I care who flirts with you and who you talk to. I don't know exactly when that started, but…I started getting very _angry_ when someone starts to flirt with you or anything of the sort and…I don't know!" Lily finished, feeling frustrated and confused herself. She held her breath as she waited for James to respond. He had the right to be mad at her and scream at her, she knew that, and she waited for him to get his own frustration out on her. Instead, he was silent.

She looked up to find him not looking at her, his lips pursed in a thin line, looking to be deep in thought.

"James?" He didn't reply. "James, please say something."

Finally, he looked at her and said, "What do you want me to say? I don't know what you want anymore, Lily! I tried getting you to like me for six years! And you kept denying me _every time._ Do you even know how that feels? And when you told me that you don't want to be more than friends, I respected that and tried my hardest not to bother you. And when I actually did that, you feel…jealous when girls talk to me? I don't get it! I noticed this since the beginning of the year. You would be in a bad mood every time I say something nice to a girl or when a girl talks to me."

He took a calming breath. "You don't get to do this, Lily. You don't get to control my actions or take advantage of my feelings like this when you feel like it."

He looked so sad that Lily wanted to hug him. "I'm sorry, James, I really am. I didn't mean it like this I swear!" she could feel tears gathering in her eyes but she blinked them back.

"I…I'll go. I want to be alone for a while, ok?" James said, gently taking his arm out of her grip, which she forgot was there, then walked past her, not going in the direction of the common room.

And Lily stood there, feeling wretched.

The next day, Lily couldn't get James alone to talk to him. It seemed he was surrounded by his friends wherever he went. Or he was avoiding her by staying with his friends. Then Lily had an idea. James's birthday was coming this weekend and Lily was determined to fix things.

XXXX

Saturday was the 27th of March, so the day before, Lily went to Hogsmeade with Mary to get James a present. It was hard to think of a suitable present that would have meaning behind it and in the same time be of use to James. She also wanted to make a surprise party or picnic for James to show him she was sorry. Oh, and she also planned to fix things and tell him how she felt, which she still has to figure out.

"It's sooo cute that you want to get James a birthday present!" Mary gushed. "Should I get something for him too?"

"If you want." Lily said, shrugging.

Mary nodded. "I think I will. Remus is getting him a present, like Sirius and Peter of course, and Alice said she will get him a present like Frank. All his friends getting him presents on his birthday. So, I guess I'm considered a friend of his. I mean, I'm his best friend's girlfriend, right?"

Lily laughed, "You talk too much sometimes Mary. But yes, of course he considers you a friend. We hang out with them most of the time."

They entered a small shop that was hidden out of view, and Lily looked around in fascination. It was filed with artifacts and things that looked like random collections like quills and ancient looking notebooks and odd-looking statues and other stuff. As well as some Muggle objects like teddy bears. The place was small and cozy, the décor brown and beige. Lily was instantly in love. She didn't know how no one noticed this shop before.

Mary started fangirling about lots of things, and Lily couldn't get enough of looking at everything. In the end, with some help from the young man behind the counter who looked to be in his twenties, Lily settled on a light brown soft teddy bear, an elegant blue quill that came with a blue inkwell, and a muggle cap. Mary got him a green cloak with a a green gemstone as clasp, which the guy said was called Peridot.

All in all, Lily was satisfied with what she got and they happily left the shop after thanking the man.

"I'm definitely going back there again," Lily said. She had seen books and lots of other things that caught her attention, but today was about James not her.

"Me too! Why didn't I see this shop before?" Mary asked.

Lily shrugged, "Maybe it just opened. It did look new from the inside."

They made their way back to Hogwarts and set about wrapping the presents and writing notes.

Lily spent a big part of the night planning what she was going to do for James's picnic and how she was going to ask him. She fell asleep, feeling the anticipation for tomorrow.

XXXX

She woke up the next morning just as the sun was rising. She was up and ready before the other girls woke up, and headed to the common room where she knew Remus will be.

"Good morning, Remus." Lily greeted as she sat down in front of the reading boy. He out his book down and gave her his attention.

"Good morning, Lily. Why are you up so early?" He asked, smiling at Lily in greeting.

"Oh, I actually came to talk to you about something." Remus raised an eyebrow in question. "You know that James's birthday is today, don't you?" She asked, already knowing the answer.

"Of course."

"Well, we sort of fought last week and I was planning a small picnic for only the two of us and was wondering if you could tell me where you guys get the food from when you make parties?" Lily asked, saying it all in one breath. Remus smiled again; his eyes looked understanding.

"I cannot tell you where we get the food from. I was sworn a Marauders' oath not to tell anyone. But I can get what you want from there. Just tell me what kinds of food you want and I'll get it for you. Without James knowing."

"Thank you, Remus, that means a lot to me," Lily said, ignoring her curiosity that kept nagging her to ask him about the 'Marauders' oath'. "Do you mind getting the food ready by lunch?" After Remus agreed, Lily proceeded to list all the foods she wanted him to get.

Lily got everything else ready before her friends woke up and met in the common room. When James and the boys came into the common room, too, everyone started wishing him a happy birthday and giving him the presents they got for him.

Lily watched as James's face was lit with laughter and when his eyes met with hers, she looked away. She said a quiet 'Happy Birthday' to him after everyone was done and they all headed to the Great Hall. Of course, she didn't give him her presents yet.

The first half of the day passed slowly. It wasn't that Lily was excited or anything. In fact, she was nervous. But the day wasn't very eventful. When it was almost lunch time, she dragged Remus out of the common room. He took a small pouch from his pocket.

"Enlarge this when you need it. It has all the food you wanted AND works as a picnic blanket." Remus said.

Lily took the pouch and placed it in her pocket. "Thank you, Remus. Wish me luck, yeah?"

Remus nodded. "Good luck. And don't worry, James is a good person. Your efforts won't go to waste. A simple sorry would have worked, but if you're willing to do this for him, he'll be very happy."

A few minutes later, everyone was going to lunch and Lily caught James's arm just as he was about to enter the Great Hall.

"I want to talk to you," Lily said when James stopped.

He raised an eyebrow. "But, lunch…? Can't it wait after or-"

"No," Lily interrupted. "It can't. Just come with me okay?"

James shrugged and let himself be dragged outside. Lily stopped when they reached a clearing near Hagrid's hut. She was proud of the fact that James's mouth dropped.

She had chosen the clearing instead of the lake for many reasons. It was private, very beautiful with flower bushes and a few trees surrounding it, and it wasn't as cliché as by the lake. Everyone goes to the lake for romantic dinners and such, and Lily wanted this to be special. NOT that it was a romantic dinner or anything. In the center of the clearing was the picnic blanket with all the picnic foods on it, which included sandwiches, pudding, chips, and even Butterbeer bottles. When she asked Remus to get pumpkin juice, he had said: 'I have something even better.' She had scattered some rose petals on the blanket and around it. The gifts were in a neat corner of the blanket. In the end, she was proud of her work.

"Wow," was the first thing James said. Lily raised an eyebrow. "That's…wow."

"Is that all you got to say?" Lily asked.

James looked at her. "What is this for?" He spoke slowly and deliberately.

"It's for your birthday."

"For me?" Lily resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She nodded instead.

"That's really nice of you Lily. Thanks." James said. He sounded polite and careful. Lily sighed.

"James, I made this as an apology, too." She raised her hand when James opened his mouth to interrupt. "I'm sorry. For what happened the other day and for all the times before. I'm sorry I made you feel confused. And I'm sorry for rejecting you and for treating you badly these past years and for not telling you how I feel."

James was, as she expected, gaping at her. he cleared his throat. "That's a lot of 'sorry's." He ran his hand through his hair. "You didn't have to do all this, you know. I already forgave you the moment I left. I can't stay mad at you for long."

"Funny. Remus said the same thing." Lily said, smiling. "But I wanted to show you I'm sorry and not just tell you."

"You said something about how you feel," James said quietly.

Lily nodded. "How about we sit down? I'll tell you while we're sitting."

They sat down and Lily started talking. "I realized that I didn't quite hate you over the summer, and I also realized that I felt that from before. I've liked you for a while now, but back then, I don't know why I kept saying no. Maybe it was because I was convinced of something that wasn't true anymore. Maybe because I didn't want to be proven wrong. But James, I know now that I like you. And I was an idiot for not realizing what a great guy you really are before." Lily finished and looked up hopefully at James who was grinning like he won the lottery.

"You really like me?" James said, obviously surprised as he let out a nervous laugh as he exhaled and ran his hand through his hair. Lily nodded.

"I... I like you, too!"

Lily laughed. "I know that."

"Can I hug you?"

Lily shrugged. "If you want." She barely finished her sentence when she was suddenly in James's arms, pressed to his chest, his face in her hair. She hugged him back and sighed contentedly.

She pulled back slightly and looked up at him. "James, you're such a kind person. You simply just accepted what I said without blaming me or...I don't know, taking revenge on me by rejecting me?"

James smiled at Lily, shaking his head slightly. "I love you. Simple. I was just waiting for the day when you would love me back. Even if you don't exactly love me yet but 'like' is enough for now."

Lily kissed him on the cheek and laughed when she saw how his cheeks got a little pink. "Never took you for the shy type," she teased.

"I'm not shy!"

"Okay, but we forgot something."

"What?"

"Eating." Lily said, gesturing to the food in front of them. They ate and enjoyed their time and Lily felt light and happy for the first time in a while.

XXXX

She couldn't exactly say that she aced the N.E. , but Lily was satisfied with her work, and was positive she will get a high mark. She ignored Mary, who was making fun of her when she expressed her concern that she might get an E in a subject or two.

The girls met with the boys after exams. She hugged James enthusiastically when she saw him. He laughed and hugged her back.

"I see you did well in your exams, Lily," He said as he looked at her. She nodded. I'm not surprised," He said.

"What about you?" Lily asked.

James grinned proudly. "I think I'm going to make a good Auror."

Lily looked at Mary chatting excitedly with a smiling Remus, and Alice with Frank, and Sirius who was waiting for Rosaline and grinning when he apparently saw her. Peter went off somewhere right after he finished exams. Probably the toilets.

"I can't wait to go home," James said. She gave him a questioning look, and he gave her an exasperated one. "Because you're coming home with me!"

"Oh! Of course!" She laughed. She almost forgot. "Exams distracted me from that fact." James shook his head.

"We are free of school! Can you believe it!" Sirius exclaimed as he appeared between James and Lily and put an arm around each of their shoulders.

"Don't you have a girlfriend to spend time with?" James muttered. Sirius ignored him.

"We aren't free, Sirius, you know that. We still have to find jobs and work and earn money and live in the real world." Lily said.

Sirius stared at her. "Evans, you are SUCH a spoilsport."

"I am just stating facts," she replied innocently.

"You forgot to mention getting married, and having kids." James added in a matter of fact voice. Lily almost chocked, and she heard Mary giggling. She glared at her.

"Yeah, James is right. Isn't he, Rosy?" Sirius asked, looking at Rosaline, who was listening to their conversation and laughing behind her hand. She nodded and smiled shyly.

James looked like he wanted Lily to confirm it too or something but he kept quiet. Thankfully.

They all headed to the common room.

"Hey, James? How about a party?" Sirius asked. James looked at him and nodded, grinning excitedly.

"Ok, Lily, you go with the girls, and tell everyone we're throwing a party. Remus, you coming?" James asked.

"Of course, I'm coming," Remus said, rolling his eyes.

"Wait. Why can't we go to wherever it is you're going with you?" Mary asked indignantly, but Lily already knew the answer. Throwing a party means food, and food means they have to go to the place Remus got the food from when she asked him. He also said it was a secret.

"Because, dear Mary, no one can know where we're going to get the party supplies," Sirius replied. "Come on!" He dragged James and Remus and they went off.

Mary huffed. "Honestly!"

XXXX

Lily had to admit the party was fun. The food was great, too. They even managed to get Butterbeer, somehow. What's more, was that Professor McGonnagle entered the common room, paused, half-smiled, then said "Have fun", and left.

She was sad they won't get to return to Hogwarts after the summer anymore, but happy they got through the seven years of education. Their graduation ceremony was to be held the next day.

"Hey," A familiar voice that Lily knew could only belong to James said behind her. She turned around to face him and smiled. He was holding a bottle of Butterbeer and a cup.

"Hey, yourself," she replied.

"Having fun?"

"Yeah."

"Good," He grinned and poured some Butterbeer in the cup. She expected him to drink it but he offered it to her instead.

She gave him a questioning look. "What are you gonna drink then?" She asked.

"Well, from the bottle of course!" And he promptly drank straight from the bottle. She rolled her eyes, and resisted facepalming. Instead, she sipped from her cup.

A few minutes passed in silence, then Lily spoke. "Say, James?"

He hummed.

"After I stay with you for a while, where do you think I should go after that? I wont sty with you guys forever, surely."

He was silent for a few seconds.

"Well, Lily, I don't see the problem if you DO stay with us forever. But I guess we can both live in a small apartment or something if you want. Why do you look so surprised?"

"Um, live…together? Alone?" She stuttered out.

He nodded slowly, watching her face intently.

"Don't get me wrong, but won't that be a little awkward?"

"Why would it be? I'm your boyfriend, right?" James asked, tilting his head slightly to the side, and looking extremely cute.

"That's the thing. You see, you never know when things can…um…"

James's mouth formed an O and he laughed. She glared halfheartedly at him.

"I know what you mean, Lils. But you should know me better than that. I won't do anything that would make you uncomfortable."

She knew that. She wasn't worried that he would do anything like that, but she was worried that SHE would be tempted. And James was hard to resist. She sighed. She was a hopeless case.

"Ok, we will do whatever you think will work out well. I don't mind," Lily said, and smiled when he smiled at her.

"This summer will be so fun!" James said, excited and looking like a little child. She wanted to squeeze his cheek.

Yes, she hoped it will be.

* * *

 **Yay, chapter 7 is over! Chapter 8 will be up as soon as I can post it. Hope this one was long enough, and fluffy and that you guys enjoyed it. Finally, the beginning chapters are done with and they are all official adults in the Wizarding world. Things will get very interesting.**


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